Summer Joshua

Weapon: Coral Bow+ (+Atk) /  Slaying Bow+ (+Atk) 

Assist: Positional Assist

Special: Blazing Special

Passive A: Life and Death (3 or 4) / Flashing Blade/Heavy Blade

Passive B: Special Spiral  

Passive C: Time’s Pulse / Atk/Spd Oath / Odd Atk Wave / Fortify Def 4

Sacred Seal: Flashing Blade/Heavy Blade / Hardy Bearing / Death Blow

• This build is a typical AoE Special Spiral build. Joshua may not have a personal weapon, but his strong offensive stats means it’s a set he can still use effectively. He will naturally perform the best with this set with an Attack Asset, while the Flaw is best as any of his defensive stats. It’s worth noting though that an HP Flaw would help him to be affected by Infantry Pulse support if that’s the route one wishes to take.
• The Blazing line of Specials are the hardest hitting of the AoE Specials. They all deal the same damage, therefore the choice comes down to which pattern one wishes to utilize. Blazing Wind is generally regarded as having the best overall pattern, but special mention to Blazing Light which can be effective for an Aether Raids Defense team.
• There are two main ways that one can go when building Joshua with an AoE build. With path is taken will depend on the weapon he takes:
  • If his default Coral Bow is used, he will need to take either Heavy Blade or Flashing Blade somewhere in his kit. The main recommendation is to use Life and Death in the A slot with one of these two skills as the Sacred Seal. Alternatively, one can use the Tier 4 version of either skill in the A slot which allows for Hardy Bearing or another damage boosting skill such as Death Blow as the Sacred Seal.
  • If Slaying Bow is used instead, he can forego using Heavy Blade or Flashing Blade altogether. This leaves him free to use Life and Death in the A slot and Hardy Bearing or a damaging boosting skill in the Sacred Seal Slot.
• Special Spiral is the necessary choice of B slot, allowing Joshua to provide himself with the remaining charge he’ll need to consistently activate his Special. The C slot is mostly up to preference, but Time’s Pulse is notable in helping Joshua to initially charge his Special faster. Atk/Spd Oath and Odd Atk Wave are two examples of skills that allow Joshua to boost his own Attack. His default Fortify Def 4 can work fine as well.

Weapon: Coral Bow+ (+Spd) / Firesweep Bow+ 

Assist: Positional Assist 

Special: Moonbow / Glimmer 

Passive A: Swift Sparrow (2 or 3) / Life and Death (3 or 4) / Fury (3 or 4)

Passive B: Desperation / Lull Spd/Def / Atk/Spd Link / Poison Strike

Passive C: Atk/Spd Oath / Fortify Def 4  

Sacred Seal: Flashing Blade/Heavy Blade / Swift Sparrow / Poison Strike

• This build is a typical general offensive build. Both powerful and cheap options are available aplenty for such a type of build, making it effective and achievable for everyone. His ideal IVs are simple: Either offensive stat for an Asset and any of the defensive stats for a Flaw.
• Both his default Coral Bow and Firesweep Bow make for strong offensive weapons. If using Coral Bow, refining for Speed helps Joshua to secure follow-up attacks. In both cases, using a low charge Special such as Moonbow or Glimmer is ideal for consistent Special usage.
• Swift Sparrow, Life and Death, and Fury all make for excellent offensive A slot skills. Life and Death is recommended if using Firesweep Bow due to the naturally lower risk of facing a counterattack. In the B slot, Desperation is both cheap and highly effective, allowing Joshua to make any follow-up attack immediately. Desperation is unnecessary with Firesweep Bow, where Lull Spd/Def or his default Atk/Spd Link would both make great choices.
• Atk/Spd Oath allows Joshua to buff himself offensively when starting his turn adjacent to allies. Outside of this, Joshua can make use of a variety of C slot skills to support his allies. Notably, he comes with Fortify Def 4 by default. Flashing Blade and Heavy Blade both make for fantastic Sacred Seal choices, though an offensive boosting Sacred Seal such as Swift Sparrow works perfectly too.
• Another way one can utilize Firesweep Bow if desired is to give him Poison Strike in both the B slot and Sacred Seal slot. This setup is most commonly found on archers in an Aether Raids Defense team. If one was planning to use Joshua on their AR-D team, this can be considered.

Weapon: Spendthrift Bow+ (+Res) 

Assist: Positional Assist

Special: Moonbow / Glimmer  

Passive A: Close Foil / Close Counter 

Passive B: Mystic Boost / Lull Atk/Spd / Quick Riposte  

Passive C: Pulse Smoke / Atk Smoke / Fortify Def 4

Sacred Seal: Quick Riposte / Mirror Stance 

• This build is centered around the Spendthrift Bow, aiming to maximize Joshua’s defensive abilities. The flat reductions to damage dealt and damage taken makes Spendthrift Bow a potent weapon for Enemy Phase combat. A Resistance refine will serve Joshua best, aiding him to defend against magical foes. Due to the Special charge inflicted by this weapon, Joshua will want a low charge Special such as Moonbow or Glimmer.
• All of Joshua’s stats can make for an effective Asset. Resistance and Defense helps him defensive, Attack helps him to deal more damage, and Speed helps him to avoid follow-up attacks. Out of all his stats, HP is the least needed and makes for the best general Flaw.
• Joshua will want either Close Foil or Close Counter so he can retaliate against melee opponents. Close Foil gives him helpful bonus stats (not to mention also coming from the same source as Spendthrift Bow) so it is recommended over Close Counter. Mystic Boost in the B slot allows him to not only heal after combat, but also avoid adaptive damage. Lull Atk/Spd is another good option that helps him defensively. Quick Riposte is also a good choice to ensure he secure follow-up attacks.
• Pulse Smoke will be highly beneficial in Aether Raids, where he can use this skill to counteract Defense teams that utilize instant charge Special sets. Atk Smoke is a cheaper but still effective option to help his overall tanking capabilities. His default Fortify Def 4 doesn’t benefit himself, but it’s still a nice tool that helps his allies defensively.
• Quick Riposte makes for the best Sacred Seal slot to ensure Joshua secures follow-up attacks. If Quick Riposte is already being used as the B slot, he can opt for one of the stance skills instead. Mirror Stance in particular boosts his Attack and Resistance on Enemy Phase which makes it very helpful both offensively and defensively.